KOTA KINABALU, Sept 4 — The first witness in the inquest into the death of Form One student Zara Qairina Mahathir told the Coroner’s Court today that it was up to the court to decide whether the teenager had committed suicide or otherwise.
Dr Jessie Hiu, 58, who conducted the post-mortem on Zara Qairina at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on August 10, said this in response to questions from lawyer Datuk Ram Singh, representing a juvenile charged with bullying the deceased.
Ram: If not by accident or being pushed while standing or sitting on the railing, was it possible that the deceased fell on her own? Dr Hiu answered, “It is for the court to decide.”
Ram: In short, whatever definition we use, would the situation involving the deceased be considered suicide, since there was no accident or push? I am only asking as you are an expert.
Dr Hiu: Same answer; it is for the court to decide.
When questioned about the smell of the decomposed body, she acknowledged “it was smelly”, but the legal team representing Zara's mother objected to the line of questioning, saying it was irrelevant. Coroner Sessions Court Judge Amir Shah Amir Hassan also upheld the objection.
Earlier, a child-sized mannequin was presented to the court to assist the medical expert in explaining the injuries found on the deceased.
Dr Hiu, a pathologist who has been with the hospital's Forensic Medicine Department since 1998, marked six areas on the mannequin, corresponding to injuries found on Zara's body.
The six areas were the back of the head, palm, back of the forearm, back of the elbow, right ankle, and left foot.
The hearing will continue on Monday (September 8).
Zara, 13, was pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital I on July 17. She had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious in a drain near her school dormitory in Papar at 4am.
On August 8, the Attorney-General's Chambers ordered the exhumation of Zara Qairina's remains to allow for a post-mortem. Subsequently, on August 13, it announced that an inquest would be conducted into her death after reviewing the police investigation report.
